Pope Leo criticised the emergence of nationalist political movements around the globe on Sunday, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader.

Leo, the first pope to come from the United States, asked during a mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter's Square for God to "open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred".

Pentecost Mass

"There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," the pontiff said.

He was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church's most important holidays. The pope addressed a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter's Square. (Reuters: Remo Casilli)

Papal Criticism of Political Leaders

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church. Before becoming pope, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Mr Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, a Catholic, on X in recent years.

The Vatican has not confirmed the new pope's ownership of the X account in question, which had the handle @drprevost and was deactivated after Leo's election. Pope Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, has criticised Donald Trump in the past. (Reuters: Guglielmo Mangiapane)

Francis, who served as pope for 12 years, was also a sharp critic of Mr Trump. The late pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a "disgrace", and had previously said Mr Trump was "not Christian" because of his views on immigration.

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said when asked about Mr Trump in 2016.

Mr Vance last month extended an invitation to the new pope to visit the US, and the pope was heard to say a visit will happen "at some point".

Reuters

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.